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DURHAM COULD HAVE 12 FEWER DAILY DIRECT SERVICES TO EDINBURGH IF PROPOSALS FOR THE NEW EAST COAST MAIN LINE DO NOT CHANGE 20:14, 29 May 2025 MP Mary Foy says that she will fight proposed

rail cuts which affect people using Durham Station. Proposals for the new East Coast Main Line timetable were given the green light by the Department for Transport in December and are set to

be finalised this summer. They will see LNER services increase from two trains to three per hour between Newcastle and London King's Cross, with journey times between Edinburgh and

London cut to close to four hours. However, shorter journey times will be achieved by fewer stops at smaller stations. In the North East, Durham, Darlington, Morpeth, Alnmouth and Berwick

will all see a reduction in LNER services, should the proposals go ahead as they are now. Total direct services from Durham to Edinburgh would be reduced from 29 services to 17, just three

of those operated by LNER as opposed to the current 15. There will also be three fewer services to Newcastle across all operators (66 to 63), with a particular concern the 8.22 from Durham

which arrives into Newcastle at 8.30. Ms Foy has been contacted by several constituents about how the changes will affect them, including Andrew Rice, who fears his commute will become

"even more inconvenient", due to a drastic reduction in direct services between Durham and Peterborough. The MP says she has had more than 200 responses to a survey which she plans

to present the results of to LNER and the Department for Transport. Article continues below Mary Foy told ChronicleLive at Durham Station: "A London to Edinburgh train will now be 15

minutes shorter. Really though, to the detriment of some smaller stations like Durham." She added: "I've been contacted by a number of constituents from students to commuters

to people with disabilities to any mobility problems to see how this reduction in service will actually affect them." Ms Foy and LNER staff had a meeting at Durham Station on Thursday

morning, which the rail operator has described as "very positive". She said that she thought the rail operator had "listened" and that they know it would be a

"disaster if that commuter train didn't happen, for the economy of Durham and the North East." ChronicleLive understands that LNER "have worked hard" to put an

additional commuter service into the timetable, but exact timings are yet to be confirmed. The service is planned to run from Darlington to Newcastle, stopping at Durham at a similar time to

the current 8.22am. An LNER spokesperson said: "We have worked hard with the industry to maintain and enhance local and national rail connectivity. In Durham, the city will see an

increased LNER services to London, from 19 to 22 per day, along with an hourly train service to Edinburgh. "We are also working to add a morning commuter service, starting in

Darlington, calling at Durham and Newcastle to help local people get to work, education, and other appointments before 9am." Article continues below Ms Foy finished: "I'll

continue to have conversations with LNER and Network Rail to have further impact on how the impacts can be mitigated for people in Durham." The proposed changes to the East Coast Main

Line have also caused outrage in Northumberland, with deputy leader of Northumberland County Council Richard Wearmouth branding the plans "a slap in the face" for the county, and

rail campaigners saying that the timetable is "bad for the region overall" and that the North East's needs are being "ignored."